Cardinals select Tyrann Mathieu with third round pick
Apr 27, 2013, 1:01 AM | Updated: 1:22 am
At No. 7, the Arizona Cardinals looked to solidify their offensive line with the selection of guard Jonathan Cooper.
At No. 45, the team chose to add to their defense with the choice of LSU inside linebacker Kevin Minter.
And at No. 69, Arizona decided to look again to the defense, with the selection of Tyrann Mathieu.
An emotional Mathieu told ESPN, “I’m proud to be an Arizona Cardinal” shortly after being selected.
Known as “the Honey Badger,” Mathieu is an electrifying defensive back who has had some off the field troubles.
As he told ESPN, that should not be a problem going forward.
Tyrann Mathieu just said on air that he has agreed to take a weekly drug test with the Cardinals
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) April 27, 2013
Mathieu, who stands in at 5-foot-9 and 186-pounds, won the 2011 Bednarik Award, which is given to the nation’s best defender, and was a first-team All-SEC selection, too. However, he was dismissed from the LSU team in August 2012 after violating multiple team rules, and has been working to find his way into the NFL ever since.
Mathieu is a former LSU teammate of Cardinals second round pick Kevin Minter as well as current Cardinal defensive back Patrick Peterson, the latter of whom was working out with the player over the last few months.
